Scenes at Pocahontas

Rockets rule and kids stay cool

July 19, 2013

POCAHONTAS - Dawson Fischer, 13, of Pocahontas, waited patiently Thursday afternoon to have his model rocket project judged at the Pocahontas County Fair.

He held the colorful two-stage rocket gingerly in one hand, a poster with photographs of its construction rested against his leg.

The spaceship was untested.

Article Photos

-Messenger photo by Hans MadsenTrent Elbert, 13, of Pocahontas, enjoys a break in one of the sheep pens at the Pocahontas County Fair Thursday afternoon.

-Messenger photo by Hans MadsenDawson Fischer, 13, holds onto his model rocket and project while waiting for the judge at the Pocahontas County Fair.

-Messenger photo by Hans MadsenCaitlyn Jacobs, 15, of Pomeroy, tends to Tennessee the calf as its mom, Gracie, wonders what all the fuss is about. Jacobs was getting ready to exhibit the cow/calf pair at the Pocahontas County Fair Thursday afternoon.

"I don't want to break it before it gets judged," he said.

Getting lost is just one hazard of a launch, he said. It could accidentally get stepped on in tall grass too.

It took him three weeks to assemble the craft.

"We had to get some parts and paint," he said.

Once the fair is over, he's planning a launch. He said the 1-foot-tall rocket is capable of reaching 2,000 feet before it deploys a parachute and drifts back down.

Cooper Christians, 11, made an unusual art project for the open class judging that was inspired by a camp counselor's footwear: Duct tape slippers.

He wears them to the pool, where they generate a few questions, he said.

"They usually ask me if I made them or not," Christians said.

The pair he entered in the fair is his third. He begins with the sole of an old shoe, then builds up the layers of duct tape to create a strap and cushion.

His mother, Andrea Christians, may be getting a pair - constructed of a special type of tape.

"Leopard print," she said.

Colleen Enerson, of Pocahontas, was one of the judges looking over the art projects, including Christians' shoes.

She enjoys her work and has seen many different creations come across the table over the years.

"Anything that the child can create and make," Enerson said.

She often notices the genesis of a creative soul.

"You just know some are going to be true artists all their lives," she said.

Trevor Freark, 10, is a member of the Bellville Bells and Boosters 4-H Club. He had several entries, including a large blanket.

He said he cut strips along the edges which were then tied in knots to create a border. In addition, he was showing a woodworking project and three photographs.

His favorite project waited outside in one of the barns.

"I like working with my calves," Freark said.

In those barns were sheep, cattle, hogs, poultry, rabbits and Trent Elbert, 13, of the Guys and Gals of Grant 4-H Club. He was enjoying some time in a lawn chair in one of the sheep pens.

"I'm just sitting here because there's a fan," Elbert said.

The fan was mounted above him and set to blow on the sheep in the pen.

"I'm kind of taking their fan," he said.

Caitlyn Jacobs, 15, of Pomeroy, was spending some quality time with her fair project, a cow/calf pair named Gracie and Tennessee.

"I like the state," she said of her name choice for the calf.

The two bovines will get an extra sprucing up before they are shown, she said.

Rebecca Hansen, 12, of the Guys and Gals of Grant 4-H Club, is exhibiting a hog at the fair. She's opted not to name it.

Hansen was getting some help settling in from her sister, Emma, 6, and her mother, Angie. The verdict was still out on the effectiveness of Emma's Hansen's help.

"She's in the way more," Rebecca Hansen said.

For her part, the 6-year-old had helped load several shovels full of sawdust from the pens into a cart, although at first she didn't realize what might be hidden in the sawdust.

She had a simple reply when she was told: "Eeeeeew."

The Pocahontas County Fair continues today with several open class and animal shows. A lamb burger supper is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m.